Journal for Research | Volume 03| Issue 02 | April 2017

ISSN: 2395-7549

A Review on Abrasive Jet Machining

Mistri Ankit N. Shah Hardil D.
UG Student UG Student
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
Chhotubhai Gopalbhai Institute of Technology, Bardoli Chhotubhai Gopalbhai Institute of Technology, Bardoli

Patel Urvin R. Manish Maisuria

Assistant Professor Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
Chhotubhai Gopalbhai Institute of Technology, Bardoli Chhotubhai Gopalbhai Institute of Technology, Bardoli

Dhaval Patel
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Chhotubhai Gopalbhai Institute of Technology, Bardoli

Abstract
Advance machining processes are used where higher accuracy and surface finish is required. One of them, Abrasive jet
machining is a non-traditional machining process in which a high-pressure air stream and abrasive particles impinge on a work
surface through a nozzle. Abrasive jet machining (AJM) removes material through the action of a focused beam of abrasive jet
directed at the workpiece the resulting erosion can be used for cutting, drilling and debarring etc. With the increase of needs for
machining of ceramics, semiconductors, electronic devices and L.C.D., AJM has become a useful technique for micromachining.
it is more useful in industries for precision work. Material removal rate during this process affected by different parameters like
abrasive particle size, the velocity of abrasive flow rate, gas pressure, standoff distance etc.
Keywords: Abrasive jet machine (AJM), Material removal rate (MRR), Stand-off distance (SOD), Abrasive mass flow
rate, Erosion rate
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

I. INTRODUCTION

Abrasive jet machining (AJM) is a processing nontraditional machine which operators on no physical contact between tool and
workpiece so there is no thermal stresses and shocks developed. AJM is applied for many applications like cutting, cleaning,
polishing, deburring, etching, drilling and finishing operation. In Abrasive jet machining, abrasive particles are made to impinge
on work material at high velocity. A jet of abrasive particles is carried by carrier gas or air. The high-velocity stream of abrasives
is generated by converting pressure energy of carrier gas or air to its Kinetic energy and hence high-velocity jet. Nozzles direct
abrasive jet in a controlled manner onto work material. The high-velocity abrasive particles remove the material by micro-cutting
action as well as a brittle fracture of the work material.

II. ABRASIVE JET MACHINING

Background:
This novel technology was first initiated by Franz to cut laminated paper tubes in 1968 and was first introduced as a commercial
system in 1983. In the 1980s garnet, abrasive was added to the water stream and the abrasive jet was born. In the early 1990s,
water jet pioneer Dr. John Olsen began to explore the concept of abrasive jet cutting as a practical alternative for traditional
machine shops. His end goal was to develop a system that could eliminate the noise, dust, and expertise demanded by abrasive
jets at that time. In the last two decades, an extensive deal of research and development in AJM is conducted.

III. ABRASIVE JET MACHINING PROCESS

COMPONENTS [6]
Abrasive Jet Machining consist of
1) Air/gas supply cylinder/compressor
2) Filter
3) Pressure regulator
4) Vibrator

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5) Mixing chamber
6) Foot control valve
7) Nozzle
8) Piping system
9) Guideways
10) Abrasives
Air/gas supply cylinder/compressor
Cylinder basically used for the storage of air/gas at certain high pressure & this pressurized gas/air is supplied forward to the
system. Same way, Air compressors collect and store air in a pressurized tank, and use pistons and valves to achieve the
appropriate pressure levels within an air storage tank that are attached to the system.
Filter
The main purpose of using a filter is to purify the air/gas passed through it by removing an unnecessary or unwanted particle
from air/gas flow.
Pressure Regulator
The line pressure is regulated by a pressure regulator. A pressure regulators primary function is to match the flow of gas through
the regulator of gas place upon the system. A pressure regulator includes a restricting element, a loading element, and a
measuring element.
Vibrator
The main function of the vibrator in this is to proper mixing of two different materials by vibration mechanism.
Mixing chamber
A mixing chamber is a small compartment in which proper mixing of gas/air abrasive particle takes place with help of vibrator
attached to it.
Foot control valve
It is used to maintain required pressure at the tip of the nozzle for material removal from the workpiece by controlling valve.
Nozzle
The abrasive particles are directed into the work surface at high velocity through nozzles. The rate of material removal and the
size of machined area are influenced by the distance of the nozzle from the workpiece.
Piping system
The piping systems are required for carrying the compressed air from the compressor to the mixing chamber and from the mixing
chamber to the nozzle orifice via the regulator. It is required to maintain the pressure in the line without eroding the pipe.
Guide ways(x-y table)
The xy table is the most important part of the AJM over which the workpiece has to be kept and machined. The main function
of the guideway is to make sure that the machine tool operative element moves along the predetermined path. The guideway
provides a smooth and linear motion in machine tool due to which higher accuracy and precision can be obtained. Guideway has
a mechanism to bear the load and to guide their linear motion simultaneously.
Abrasives
An abrasive is a material that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being
worn away. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth surface. Various abrasives used are Silicon
oxide (SiO2), Silicon carbide (SiC), Aluminum oxide (Al 2O3) of different sizes for cutting and drilling operation.
Working Process [4]

Fig 2.1 process setup

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 A Review on Abrasive Jet Machining
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First, Gas /dry air is supply from the cylinder/compressor & reaches to a filter.
After the filtration, air/gas move towards pressure regulator, which indicate the pressure of the air/gas flow.
Then this air/gas is mixed with abrasive particle powder in the mixing chamber with the help of vibrator attached to it.
Then this mixer of abrasive particle & air/gas reaches to foot control valve, which uses for maintaining the required pressure
of mixer at the tip of the nozzle.
Mixer with sufficient pressure reaches to the nozzle, nozzle increases the velocity of the mixer and strike the workpiece at
very high velocity, say about 300m/s.
So due to the high velocity of air-abrasive mixer strike at the work surface, material removal can take place & machining
can do.

Fig. 2.2: basic working

This is a process of removal of material by impact erosion through the action of a concentrated high-velocity stream of grit
abrasives entrained in high-velocity gas stream AJM is different from the shot or sand blasting, as in AJM, finer abrasive grits
are used and parameters can be controlled more effectively providing better control over product quality.
In AJM, generally, the abrasive particles of around 50 microns grit size would Impinge on the work material at a velocity of
150-300 m/s from a nozzle of ID 0.5mm with a standoff distance of around 0.5mm-15mm. The kinetic energy of the abrasive
particles would sufficient to provide material removal due to brittle fracture of the workpiece or even micro cutting by the
abrasives.
Mechanics for AJM [4]
Abrasive particle impinges on the work surface at a high velocity and this impact causes a tiny brittle fracture and the following
air or gas carries away the dislodged small workpiece particle.
So the removal of the material takes place due to micro-cutting action as well as a brittle fracture of the work material.

Fig. 2.3: mechanics of AJM

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 A Review on Abrasive Jet Machining
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TYPICAL PARAMETERS FOR AJM [1]

Abrasive
Material: - Al oxide, brass, silicon carbide
Shape: - irregular / spherical
Size: - 10 to 50 micron
Mass flow rate: 2 to 20 gm/min
Carrier gas
Composition - dry air, nitrogen(N2), carbon dioxide(CO2)
Pressure 2 to 10 bar
Flow rate 5 to 30 L/min
Abrasive Jet
Velocity 100 to 300 m/s(1000 km/hr)
Standoff distance 0.5 to 15 mm
Impingement angle 60 to 90
Mixing ratio Volume flow rate of abrasives/Volume flow rate of gas
Nozzle
Material tungsten carbide(WC)/ Sapphire
Diameter (internal)0.2 to 0.8 mm
Life 300 hours for sapphire, 20 to 30 hours for WC
ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES FOR AJM [1]
Advantages:-
Capital cost is low and it is easy to operate and maintain AJM.
The process is free from chatter and vibration as there is no contact between the tool and workpiece.
The Higher surface finish can be obtained.
Ability to cut fragile, brittle hard & heat sensitive material without damage.
Thin sections of hard brittle materials like germanium, mica, silicon, glass, and ceramics can be machined It provides
cool cutting action, so it can machine delicate and heat sensitive Material.
It has the capability to cut intricate shape holes of any hardness and brittleness material.
Dis-advantages:-
Limited capacity due to low MRR. MRR for glass is 40 gm/minute.
Abrasive powders cannot be reused as the sharp edges are worn and smaller Particles can clog the nozzle.
Short standoff distances when used for cutting, damages the nozzle.
A dust collection system is a basic requirement to prevent atmospheric pollution and health hazards.
Nozzle life is limited (300 hours).
Abrasive jet machining cannot applicable for a ductile material.
Stray cutting is difficult to avoid.
APPLICATION OF AJM [1].
This is used for abrading and frosting glass more economically as compared to
Etching or grinding.
Cleaning of metallic smears on ceramics, oxides on metals, resistive coating etc.
AJM is useful in the manufacture of electronic devices, drilling of glass wafers, deburring of plastics, making of nylon
and Teflon parts permanent marking on rubber stencils, cutting titanium foils.
Used for cutting thin fragile components like germanium, silicon etc.
Used for drilling, cutting, deburring etching and polishing of hard and brittle materials.
Most suitable for machining brittle and heat sensitive materials like glass, quartz, sapphire, mica, ceramics germanium,
silicon, and gallium.
EFFECTIVE PROCESS PARAMETERS [1][2][3]
The followings are some of the important parameters of abrasive jet machining which directly or indirectly affect the material
removal rate (MRR) during the process.
1) Abrasive mass flow rate
2) Velocity of abrasive particles
3) Mixing ratio
4) Gas pressure
5) Standoff distance

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Effect of Abrasive mass flow rate and grain size on MRR:-

Fig. 2.3: variation in MRR with change in abrasive flow rate for different grain size

Above graph shows the variation in MRR with a change in abrasive flow rate for different grain size say 10, 27 & 50 microns.
It is clear from the figure that at a particular pressure MRR increase with the increase of abrasive flow rate and is influenced by
the size of abrasive particles. But after reaching optimum value, MRR decreases with further increase of abrasive flow rate. This
is owing to the fact that Mass flow rate of gas decreases with the increase of abrasive flow rate and hence mixing ratio increases
causing a decrease in material removal rate because of decreasing energy available for erosion.
Effect of exit gas velocity and abrasive particle density
This graph shows variation in exit gas velocity with respect to abrasive particle density. The velocity of carrier gas conveying the
abrasive particles changes considerably with the change of abrasive particle density as indicated in the figure.
The exit velocity of gas can be increased to critical velocity when the internal gas pressure is near twice the pressure at the exit
of the nozzle for the abrasive particle density is zero. If the density of abrasive particles is gradually increased exit velocity will
go on decreasing for the same pressure condition. It is due to fact that Kinetic energy of gas is utilized for transporting the
abrasive particle.

Fig. 2.4: Effect of exit gas velocity and abrasive particle density

Effect of Mixing ratio on MRR

The increased mass flow rate of abrasive will result in a decreased velocity of the fluid and will thereby decrease the available
energy for erosion and ultimately the MRR. It is convenient to explain to this fact by term Mixing Ratio.

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 A Review on Abrasive Jet Machining
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Fig. 2.5: Effect of Mixing ratio on MRR

Mixing ratio is defined as the ratio of mass flow rate of abrasive particles to the mass flow rate of air (gas). The effect of mixing
ratio on the material removal rate is shown in above graph.
The material removal rate can be improved by increasing the abrasive flow rate provided the mixing ratio can be kept
constant. The mixing ratio is unchanged only by a simultaneous increase of both gas and abrasive flow rate. An optimum value
of mixing ratio that gives maximum MRR is predicted by trial and error.

Fig. 2.6: Effect of Mixing ratio on MRR

Effect of Nozzle pressure on MRR

Fig. 2.7: Effect of Nozzle pressure on MRR

The abrasive flow rate can be increased by increasing the flow rate of the carrier gas. This is only possible by increasing the
internal gas pressure as shown in the figure. As the internal gas pressure increases abrasive mass flow rate increase and thus
MRR increases.
As a matter of fact, the material removal rate will increase with the increase in gas pressure Kinetic energy of the abrasive
particles is responsible for the removal of material by erosion process. The abrasive must impinge on the work surface with
minimum velocity for machining glass by SIC particle is found to be around 150m/s.

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 A Review on Abrasive Jet Machining
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Effect of Standoff distance

Standoff distance is defined as the distance between the face of the nozzle and the work surface of the workpiece.SOD has been
found to have a considerable effect on the work material and accuracy. A large SOD results in flaring of the jet which leads to
poor accuracy.

Fig. 2.8: NTD variation

Fig. 2.9: change in penetration rate & volume of material remove

Above graph shows the change in penetration rate & volume of material removed with a change in standoff distance. It is clear
from the figure that MRR increases with nozzle tip distance or Standoff distance up to the certain distance and then decreases.
Penetration rate also increases with SOD and then decreases. The decrease in SOD improves accuracy, decreases kerf width, and
reduces taper in the machined groove. However light operation like cleaning, frosting etc is conducted with large SOD say 12.5
to 75mm.

IV. CONCLUSION

For Higher precision work higher pressure and lower standoff distance are adopted to attain a higher accuracy and
penetration rate for AJM.
The Higher stand off distance is preferable where material removal is prime importance.
MRR increase with an increase in abrasive jet flow rate, mixing ratio, internal pressure, standoff distance under certain
condition.

REFERENCES
[1] Jagadeesha T, Assistant Professor, Abrasive jet machining, National Institute of Technology, Calicut
[2] Rajeev Kumar, Gurdeep Singh Deol, C. S. Kalra, Vijay Kr Sharma, Analysis on Performance of Different Parameters during Abrasive Jet Machining by
Taguchi Method, International Journal of Emerging Research in Management &Technology ISSN: 2278-9359 (Volume-3, Issue-8)
[3] http://mechteacher.com/process-parameters-of-abrasive-jet-machining/.
[4] A.P. Verma and G. K. Lal Publication An experimental study of abrasive jet machining, International Journal of Machine Tool Design and Research,
Volume 24, Issue 1, 1984, Pages 19-29
[5] Prof. V. K. Jain, Mechanical Engineering Department I.I.T KANPUR-208016, Micro Machining Processes
[6] Jigarkumar P. Patel, Dr. K V. Modi, Development of Abrasive Jet Machine

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